Life's trials and unanswered prayers

Here we go - another spiritual post.  This was sparked by a friend's post, which got me thinking about things, like how the Lord knows us personally when we are "the dust of the earth" or why our prayers don't seem to be answered, even when our desires are righteous.  These are hard questions, for which I don't have all the answers.  We can't comprehend all the things that the Lord can comprehend.  What I can say is that I know when the Lord promises something, it will be fulfilled, but in His time and according to His will.  I believe that we knew before we were born that we'd have trials here on earth, maybe even knew some of the trials we'd have and accepted the challenge.  That's part of life's test to see if we can endure our trials, the very things tailor-made for our personal growth.  I don't know why certain things happen or why others seem to get more than their fair share of trials, but there's purpose behind them and things happen for a reason.

Thinking about these things, I went to the scriptures in search of further understanding.  I landed in the first chapters in Mosiah, in the Book of Mormon.  King Benjamin, a prophet, is teaching his people about what they need to do to gain salvation and about the Atonement of Christ.  In chapter 4, after hearing the teachings, the people had a greater understanding of who they were.  They viewed themselves "even less than the dust of the earth."  They had come into the depths of humility, recognizing their complete dependence on God for all that they are and have.  The more they understood the goodness of God and His glory, the more they were awakened to the sense of their own nothingness and worthless and fallen state.  This "state of being nothing", worthless and fallen, seems to contradict with what we're taught - that we do have value and are significant, that we do exist as children of God, that we are worth far more than nothing.  Upon first reading it, we might think it's saying that WE are nothing, that WE are worthless.  But it doesn't say that - they only viewed themselves less than the dust of the earth, recognizing their dependence on God.  As an individual, we have great worth, but we are in a worthless and fallen STATE because we can't do anything on our own to gain salvation.  There are things we can do to gain eternal life and live with our families with God again, but we can't save ourselves from sin.  The only way out is through the Atonement of Christ.  The more we understand the plan of salvation, the more we realize our state of nothingness and the role of the Savior in saving us from our fallen state.  Mosiah 3:17 ...there shall be no other name given nor any other way nor means whereby salvation can come unto the children of men, only in and through the name of Christ." (also Acts 4:12)

If we look back in Mosiah chapter 2, in verse 23, it tells us that we are indebted unto God for our lives.  In verse 25, we are reminded that we were created of the dust of the earth, and the dust of the earth belongeth to him that created us.  To be of the dust of the earth isn't insignificant - we were created from that dust and it belongs to God.  God doesn't create junk!  And it is an even greater testimony to me of the power of God in knowing that although we are in number as the sands of the sea and dust of the earth, He still knows each and every one of us personally.

As far as "unanswered prayers" - there aren't really unanswered prayers.  We just don't always get the answer we want.  Sometimes the answer is "yes", sometimes it's "no", and sometimes it's "not now".  Since God is our Father and we are His children, it's helpful for me to think of things in terms of the parent/child relationship.  Just as we don't immediately give our children everything they ask for, so Heavenly Father doesn't always give us what we ask for when we want it (even righteous things).

I was trying to think of a specific example and here's what came to mind:  The other day, I was doing the dishes.  Nathan asked if he could do them (yes, he did want to do the dishes...).  That's a very helpful and righteous thing to ask, right?  You'd think that I'd say "sure", but I didn't because I wanted his help with something else.  Sometimes he has other priorities, like homework and sometimes I need his help elsewhere.   This time, I wanted him to just play with and keep an eye on his little brothers.  Yes, I could have handed the task over the Nathan - many times I let him do that.  But this time, I told him "No, not right now."  It doesn't mean he can't help another time.  And sometimes Owen or Weston want to help with the dishes.  As a matter of safety (think broken glass), I may not think it's best for them to help and the answer is "no".  In this case, my "knowledge" and "judgement" overruled their "righteous desire", based on what I saw as best.  This may not be the best example, but hopefully you can relate this to our relationship with our Heavenly Father.  Many times we get what we ask for, sometimes we don't, and sometimes the answer is "not now".  We may not understand the reasons behind the answers, but it could be that we are needed for something else.  I also was just thinking about persistence.  When my kids are really persistent, I'm often likely to give in.  While I don't know if that's the case with God, I imagine if we keep asking, we may get what we want.  We just better be prepared for whatever consequences that may bring!  We better try to find out if it's the Lord's will... We know all things are done in wisdom and order, so we better just be patient.

Perhaps one of the more challenging things to deal with is infertility.  I have only experienced this in a small way - obviously with 4 kids that problem has gone away.  But I know some of you are dealing with it in a much greater way, and my heart goes out to you.  I came across this article that really touched me. Even if you aren't going through this, it's a good example of "unanswered prayers."  Hopefully you can find answers to your prayers, comfort and peace, and discover God's plan for you.  He loves you and knows what's best!